Splint-carrier.



ALMoN B. cALKiNs, or BELLEvrLLE,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNCR ,TO AME-RI- CAN MATCH MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YCRK, N. Y., A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

-sPLiNT-CARRIER.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Amical@ flied may 2e, i966. serai No. 313,866.

To (LU, whom, it may concern.- i

Be it known that I, ALMoN B. CALKINS, a l citizen of the United States of America, and a l resident of Belleville, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useiul Improvements in Splint-Carriers, i of which the Jfollowing is a specification, reierence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in splint-carriers, and particularly to improvel ments in carrier-chains which form the supporting elements for individual splint-grippers.

rIhe main object of my invention is to simplify and lessen the cost of construction of carrier-chains of this description, while pro. viding that the various parts shall be, so Jfar as is possible, interchangeable, easy of access, and readily assembled and disassembled.

T o these ends my invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts and details oi construction, as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

'lo the end that my invention may be thoroughly understood I will describe in detail an embodiment thereof, having reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating saine, and will then point out the novel feal tures in claims. t

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a portion oi a carrier-chain embodying my invention, with certain parts broken away and other parts removable. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a view i in transverse section substantially upon the plane of the line 3 3 of' Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the links detached. i

'Ihe main elements of the chain herein are side links 10 and transverse plates 11 12. Each section of the chain comprises one each of the transverse plates 11 and 12 and a plurality of links 10, supporting the said plates and constituting members by which the several sections are pivotally connected together. All the links 10 are similar, each said link comprising a thin plate having a central hole 13 therethrough, side holes 14 14, rounded ends 15, ilat upper and lower edges l 16, and upper and lower projecting tongues l 17. 'Ihe plates 11 11 have bifurcated end l portions 18, which rest upon the surfaces 16 and receive the uprising tongues within them.

rIhis arrangement of plates and links properly spaces the upper and lower plates 11 and 12 from each other and also properly spaces the links at opposite ends apart. 'Ihe plates 11 and 12 are suitably fastened together, as by rivets 19, and thimbles or spacing-pieces 2() may also be employed at different points throughout the length of the `plates#as, for instance, wherever the rivets are used-as may be desired.

'l he plates 11 and 12 form supports Jfor individual splint-grippers 21, which per se form no part of the present invention, the said grippers being conveniently held in place by a cover-plate 22, secured to the plate 11 by screws 23, which cover-plate clamps projecting lips 24 of the grippers 21 between itself and the said plate 11.

The links 10 are preferably arranged in alternate relation, so as to even up the strain,

single links 1() alternating with pairs of links, as clearly shown in the drawings, and a single link at one end of a pair of plates being opposite to a pair of links at the other end. The several links are pivoted together by means of pintles 25, received Within the openings 14 and riveted at their outer ends. The central openings 13 of each pair of links receive trunnions 26, which are suitably secured thereto. At certain points rods 27 may eX- tend all the way across the chain from the links at one end of the plates 11 12 to the links at the other end thereof in order to lend further rigidity to the chain g but in practice I havenot found that such bars are always necessary, as the connection oi' the bifurcated ends of the plates with the uprising portion of the links is usually quite sufficient ior this purpose. I may bend over the ends of' the plates, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to offset any tendency oi' the links to spread, as will be well understood.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a chain composed of but Jfew parts, and those inexpensive to build, readily assembled, and easy of access andremoval when required. As all the links are similar, they are all interchangeable, so that any damage thereto may be easily and quickly repaired. To obtain access to any of the inl it is only necessary to reoividual gri ppers, move the screws 23 of the cover-plates of any section, when all dthe-individual grippers of that section may be immediately reinov'ed and replaced. To remove a lsection entirely without aiiiectingl the rest of the chain, it is only necessary to bend up the proj ecting'ends of the bifurcated portions 18 of the plates, which may be readily done, as the plates are preferably composed of a soft liexible ironor machinery-steel. A new section may bei inserted in a similar manner by first bending up the ends of the plates, inserting the' sections, and then bending them back again, as will be readily understood.

What I clairnis;

1. A- carrier-chain comprisingv upper and' lower splint-gripper-sup porting `'transverse' plates having bifurcated ends, and links hav`v ing upper an d lower projections fitted to' said bilurcated ends, substantially as specified.V

2. A- carr1er`chain comprising upper and lower splint-grippensupporting transverse plates having biiurcated ends, links having upper and lower projections arrangedl be-V tween-said plates, with the projections ii-tted to and projecting through said bifurcated ends, the projecting end portions of said plates ben-t over to preventl spread of said` links, substantially as specified.

3. A carrier-'chain comprising upper and` lwer splintggripperf-supporting transverse',

plat-"esi having biffurcated ends, linksdisposed between the said plates, having upper and lower projections received within the bilfur cated ends thereof, and trun'nions supported and carried by said links. j

4. A carrier-chain comprising upper and lower splint-gripper-supporting transverse plates having bifurcated ends, links disposed between the said plates, having upper and lower projections received within the bifurcated ends thereof, trunnions supported and carried by said links, and spacing-bars 27 between the links at oppositel ends of said plates.

5. A carrier-chain comprising upper and lower plates 11 and 12 having bifurcated ends 1S, links 1 0 at the opposite ends of said plates spacing themY apart, and having projections 17 received within the bifurcated ends 18,r ri-vets 19 securing the plates together, trunnions 26 supported by the lin-ks, and pintles 25 pivoting the links together.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21 st day of May, 1906.

B. CALKINS. Witnesses s F. SEYMOUR,- C. A. DGUGHERTY. 

